My Name is Namine
by Reluctant Prodigy
Summary: Even though she was a Nobody, she affected everyone in the castle in one way or another.  OneShot Series
1. Vexen

AN: I'm starting a oneshot series, because I believe there's more to Namine than we got to see. I hope you like it, and feedback is greatly appreciated.

Disclaimer: Kingdom Hearts belongs to Square-Enix.

_A Learning Experience_

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><p>"Must I watch her?" Vexen sneered at the girl, who was actually hiding behind Marluxia.<p>

Namine couldn't help but gaze at the strange man in fear. Even during her time at the World That Never Was, she had never seen him. He had maniacal green eyes and blonde hair that hung limply. Something told her that he wasn't going to be nicer than Marluxia or Larxene. She had only been in Castle Oblivion for two weeks, but she had already discovered no one cared about her.

Marluxia raised an eyebrow and shoved Namine towards Vexen. She stumbled and nearly landed on a boiling pot of water. "I order you to, everyone else is busy."

It was a lie, only he himself was busy, but Vexen did not need to know that.

"Be careful, if you had knocked her into something… Moreover, mind your manners! I'll have you know that I outrank you!"

Marluxia appeared bored. "Yes, but I am lord of the castle, and therefore your superior. You're not committing treason now, are you Vexen?"

Vexen looked away, restraining a growl. Marluxia left the room, leaving a trembling Namine against a fuming Vexen.

"…Just don't touch anything. I bet you're just as disrespectful as that fool!"

Namine flinched and sat there. After hearing his tirade about respect for several minutes, she asked. "Is there anything I can do to help… sir?"

Vexen snorted. "At least you're not too awful. Figures. That's the problem these days. The neophytes are much too arrogant."

This continued and eventually Namine got bored. Guiltily, she began to tune the Nobody out. She began sketching the underground lab, and all the beakers and Bunsen burners. For a moment, she was puzzled as to why she knew the names of such weird equipment, but quickly figured her somebody had taken chemistry. There wasn't a whole lot she knew about her, besides that she had gone to school with Sora, and the other intruder, Riku. For some strange reason, she knew more about Sora than Kairi.

Soon, Vexen became silent, too engrossed in his work to bother continuing his rant. He cautiously stirred a thick clear liquid. After several minutes, he poured it into a strange mold. Namine wished she knew what he was doing, but was too scared of angering him and starting another outburst to ask.

The basement was cold and she allowed a lone shiver to escape. While it was much colder than the top floor, she didn't mind. The dark setting was definitely better than the blinding white of upstairs, and she wanted to stay for as long as possible. If she complained, she doubted Vexen would hesitate to kick her out...

"Girl!"

Namine looked up, to see Vexen glaring at her impatiently. "…Yes?"

"Try and hold this." Vexen tossed a silver key blade at her. She fumbled with it, and cocked her head at the scientist.

"See if you can fight with it."

Vexen summoned a dusk. Namine tentatively swung at it, expecting it to disappear like she had seen Sora do countless times. To her surprise, the key blade appeared to turn into sparkling pixels and vanished. She flinched away from the dusk, not sure if it would hurt her or not.

Vexen vanished the dusk. "Stop flinching. Dusks won't harm you. Doesn't anyone teach you anything?"

He muttered the last part under his breath, but Namine still picked up on it. She shook her head.

Vexen seemed appalled. "You know how your powers work right?"

Namine nodded.

"Good, but is there anything else you know?"

Namine hesitated before answering. "Just a little about my somebody, sir."

"Yes, Kairi can use the key blade. That's why, theoretically, you should be able to as well."

This greatly puzzled Vexen, perhaps she had just never felt in danger enough. _'XIII can, but the girl should have already shown signs…'_

"That's why I had you try that key blade. I've been trying to make an artificial one in my spare time, if we had three key blade wielders, then we could farther are goal."

"Sir, could you explain to me how everything works? Marluxia… he doesn't tell me much…" Namine played with a strand of hair, positive he would scold her. But she really didn't know anything, including who XIII was or that there were two key blade wielders in the Organization.

The switch from mad scientist to professor was startling, but Namine wasn't going to complain. "Yes of course. When a person gives into the darkness, they become a heartless. When a strong person does that, they create a lower ranking nobody and a heartless. Nobodies like us were exceptionally strong people, so strong, that the remaining shell, us, retains their appearance and thoughts, but without emotion. You on the other hand, are a special case. Kairi was a Princess of Heart, in other words, her heart had no darkness. Instead of creating a heartless, only you were born. Actually, when I have more time, I'll run some tests and see exactly what effect that has on you…"

"Did you ever know my somebody?" Namine wasn't quite sure why she asked that, but ever since he had started lecturing her, she had a nagging feeling of déjà vu.

Vexen looked at her sharply. "Your somebody knew mine at one point, yes. But that is none of your concern."

Namine nodded and looked down. Vexen continued as if nothing had happened. "Every Nobody can control the lower ranking nobodies. Also, each Nobody has their own unique weapon, along with a certain 'power.' For example, I have a shield I can summon at will, and I fight with ice. Marluxia uses a scythe, as you know, and controls flowers."

"You on the other hand, are different, your power is more precise, and I don't believe you have a weapon…" Vexen trailed off, thinking about the experiments that he would have to do. In fact, her power might be vaguer than they were lead to believe. Vexen would like conduct some experiments if Marluxia, the bastard, would let him. Vexen would probably have to trick him; the neophyte would never do anything to benefit him.

Namine blinked at the man who had suddenly fallen silent. Vexen continued. "Do you even know our goal?"

"To capture Sora?"

Vexen sneered at how naïve she was. Maybe he would have to have a talk with Marluxia. Namine shrunk back, thinking the glare was directed at her. "While that is one small goal, ultimately, we desire Kingdom Hearts. If XIII, along with Sora, release enough hearts, Kingdom Hearts will be complete. Along with more power, we will also get our hearts back."

Vexen wondered if that would even work on the young Nobody, seeing as her somebody was alive, and she didn't have a heartless. He stopped himself from sighing. He probably shouldn't have told her all of that, but it would spite Marluxia for sure. Besides the girl would most likely be dead as soon as she finished with Sora's memories. Vexen almost wished he had a heart so he could feel bad for her.

Namine returned to her forgotten drawing. There was the table full of materials. She thought of something. Within several minutes, there was a lone key blade slowly dissolving.

Vexen stared at the girl. She brought back memories he wished he had forgotten. He envied some who forgot. Vexen was cursed with remembering his old life in full detail. Kairi had always been bright for her age, and he could see it in Namine. Although she was only three, he had brought the princess in the lab, and had assisted him with experiments. Namine was soaking up the information like a sponge.

Eventually, nostalgia got the best of him. "Namine, get over here. I require your assistance."

"Sir…?"

"Don't just stand there! Come over here and pour that blue vial into the red one."

Namine complied, and the familiarity grew. She shook her head, there was no use dwelling on things that she doubted her somebody even remembered.

They continued for what seemed like hours. Vexen would occasionally explain what it was she was doing, but most of the time, she was just told to grab a certain colored test tube. It didn't bother her though. She honestly did not want to know what awful thing it would be used for. Besides, if she asked too many questions, he might get annoyed.

Eventually, a dark portal appeared at the edge of the lab. Vexen frowned and hissed, "_Drop it_."

Namine frowned, but did as she was told. The glass vial shattered, sending purple liquid everywhere. Smoke started to form. Namine held her breath.

Vexen's expression quickly snapped from alarm to anger. "You insolent girl! I told you not to touch _anything_! You're just as bad as the rest. There's such a lack of respect in the castle!"

Marluxia raised an eyebrow. He had not been out of the portal in time to see the vial fall, but could derive a conclusion. "What was that, IV?"

Vexen looked abashed, while inwardly smirking. Marluxia had taken the bait. "Nothing at all, XI. …_Please_, take your girl before she does any other damage."

Namine looked downwards. Vexen had vaguely explained Nobodies couldn't feel emotions. Still, Namine _appeared _to feel hurt.

"Very well, I'll be nice. Although… I might need you to watch her again." Marluxia descended up the stairs, with Namine in tow.

Vexen rolled his eyes. Stupid girl… Didn't she realize? If Marluxia knew he actually didn't mind her, he would never see her again. He started at the forgotten drawing on the floor. The Nobody knew he should throw it out, but he picked it up and put it into his research journal, for scientific purposes, of course. It was an accurate rendition of the key blade.


	2. Larxene

AN: Here's the second oneshot, this time with Larxene and Namine interacting. I know this one's a lot shorter, but I didn't want to force it to become longer and then really boring.

Disclaimer: Still don't own it.

_Stress_

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><p>Larxene glowered at the final floor. She had wandered all the way to the top of the castle, looking for Namine. For her own sake, she had better be there. Marluxia and her had gotten in yet another fight. Plans weren't going as well as they had hoped. Larxene wished to just capture the brat while Marluxia thought they should wait for him to become completely obsessed over Namine. The point was, Larxene desperately needed to relieve her anger before facing him again.<p>

"Namine… Come out, come out wherever you are?" Larxene taunted, knowing all to well that she was hidden in the back room. Really, it was just to allow her to be scared for several minutes. In a way, the fear was as good as the pain. Larxene just loved knowing she caused it.

Convinced Namine was trembling by now, Larxene barged into the small room. She noticed the drawings decorating the room with distaste. Almost all of them were of her and the brat Sora. Namine was on the other side of the room, clutching her sketchpad. "Whatcha got there, Namine?"

"N-nothing…" Namine gripped the book even harder, her knuckles turning white. Her fingers were getting stained with the pastels she was using, smudging the drawing slightly.

Larxene ripped it out of her hands, causing Namine to fall backwards out of her chair. The girl nervously looked up, watching Larxene's blank face slowly smile. "What do we have here? I thought you were told to alter Sora's memories, not draw silly pictures."

"W-well, Marluxia also said not to do it too fast, or else it could damage him. I t-thought I'd draw…"

Larxene scowled at Namine, who was standing there biting her lip. The girl was beginning to become less scared, and Larxene would not have that. In one movement, she ripped the picture in half and gripped Namine's throat. "What was that?"

"…I-I'm s-sorry?"

"Hm…" Larxene dropped the girl to the floor, watching her clutch her bleeding neck. She didn't realize she had used that much force, but Namine's bleeding neck said otherwise. It didn't matter. It wasn't as if she cared. Obviously, she had shown that she was serious. Larxene wouldn't be taken lightly.

Namine cradled the picture of Kingdom Hearts she had been drawing. Larxene had ripped it directly down the middle, causing it to resemble a broken heart. The irony wasn't lost on her.

Larxene glared at the drawing. "How do you even know about that?"

Namine thought quickly. "I overheard you and Axel talking about it once."

Larxene shook her head. She didn't remember discussing it, but whatever. "I see… I cannot wait to tell Marluxia that you can't be trusted. He'll probably put you in solitary confinement. But, don't worry, I'll visit you."

As much as Namine dreaded the idea of that, there was no way she was telling Larxene about her basement visits. The Nobody would do everything in her power to stop any form of joy Namine had. She wouldn't call spending time with them joy, but it was definitely better than any other time.

"Do you even want your heart back?" Namine asked, knowing that she would most likely end up in pain for it. On the bright side, it would distract her.

Larxene readied her weapons. "Excuse me?"

Namine gulped. "It's just... will you be able to live with yourself once you can feel guilty?"

Lightning swarmed around her, terrifying the witch. Her aquamarine eyes took on a yellow shade. "You're developing a backbone. I'm not going to have that. All you are is Sora's witch. He doesn't even want to be with you."

It stung, but Namine was not going to show any signs of that.

Larxene screamed, and soon had shocked Namine to the point of unconsciousness. Namine fell awkwardly across the floor, her body twitching with electricity. If she were an ordinary human, she surely would have been dead. Not that Larxene actually cared, but Marluxia wouldn't be happy.

Larxene slammed the door, causing some wandering nobodies to scurry away. She had entered the room intending to relieve stress, but things had just become worse. What did she know? She didn't even need her heart, she could cause pain without it, and pain was the only thing that made her feel real.


	3. Marluxia

AN: Here's the third oneshot. This one is the shortest so far, but the next one will definitely be longer.

Disclaimer: Square Enix owns Kingdom Hearts, I don't.

_Paper_

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><p>Namine wasn't sure whom she disliked more: Marluxia or Axel.<p>

They were so different. Marluxia didn't try, while Axel tried almost too hard to act human for her. The problem was, when his performance slipped, it was most chilling. Axel was wild and unplanned. At least, that's how he appeared. Namine believed he knew what he was doing better than the others did. Maybe Marluxia just wasn't as good an actor, or maybe he just didn't care. At least Axel didn't seem to enjoy scaring her. Whenever Axel realized he had, a pretend sheepish grin formed on his face. It didn't do much, because she remembered it was a lie.

It didn't really matter though, because currently Namine was stuck with Marluxia.

Marluxia turned to glance at Namine. A sly grin formed on his face when he realized she had been staring at him. "See something you like, Namine?"

Namine looked down and quietly shook her head. Marluxia had caught her comparing again.

"What was that, _Namine_?"

"N-nothing sir." Inwardly, Namine wondered how he managed to taunt her with her own name.

"You know Namine. You are so pretty. Fair blonde hair and pale skin. Almost as if, you were made of paper. Remember Namine, fire consumes paper…" Marluxia placed a gloved hand on her shoulder.

Namine understood the warning loud and clear. She was to stay away from Axel. In a way, she was glad he made the decision for her. Axel and Marluxia were the only two alive. Vexen, Lexaeus and Larxene were all gone. There were not even bodies. Namine wasn't sure about Zexion, but didn't doubt it. At least they weren't suffering anymore. Long ago Namine realized that no one was actually going to get their hearts.

Marluxia began playing with her hair. "Yes, you're a beautiful paper doll… Unfortunately, paper is weak. You should be grateful I'm willing to protect you."

She knows that it is meant to be an insult, but she doesn't care. The witch is just debating if she should flinch or lean into his touch. Marluxia scared her more than anything did, but she craved contact.

Gentle caresses turned sharp and Namine found herself holding back tears. Marluxia's rosy lips parted. "I'd hate to see something bad happen to you. Keep in mind, even though I let Sora play with you… You belong to me."

Strong fingers pulled out strands of her hair. Namine found herself coming towards him, trying to escape the pain. "See, you belong to _me_."

Strong hands brushed her arm, but Namine tensed. He sharply pinched her. Marluxia smirked when she quickly relaxed. Tenderly, he cupped her face. Namine tried to pull away, but his grip tightened. She squirmed, and her blue eyes resembled an ocean. Tears began to spill from them. Marluxia tightened his hold even more, before suddenly letting go.

Namine fell onto the floor in a heap, gingerly touching her face.

Marluxia bent down and lifted her up. When he saw the purple handprints, he chuckled. He had marked her as his.


	4. Saix

Disclaimer: Kingdom Hearts belongs to Square Enix, not me.

_Time to Shed Some Light_

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><p>Namine had only been in the World That Never Was for two days, but she was already bored out of her mind. She hadn't had any human contact since Xemnas had found her wandering the area, only some strange creatures that dropped off her meals. Inattentively, she wondered if they'd forgotten about her. Strangely, she didn't care all too much.<p>

The creak of the door opened startled her. Namine almost expected to see Xemnas, but instead saw a different man with vivid blue hair. There was something strange about him, and Namine couldn't help but stare into his amber eyes.

Saix looked at the girl impassively. She was a runt, and he knew she could never be of any use to the organization. The girl hadn't even shown any signs of powers. He looked into her bright blue eyes. His eyes widened momentarily, but Namine caught it.

"W-who are you?" She asked.

Saix debated even telling her. Contrary to what he had believed for a second, she was obviously useless. The girl stuttered, and she couldn't even feel shy. "Saix, you're superior."'

The girl looked down, but after a minute gazed back up. Their eyes met, and Saix started remembering things he thought he had forgotten. False feelings started to ghost up on him. He broke contact, and the feelings vanished. Namine looked up at the sound of the slamming door. The man, Saix, had left so quickly. She wasn't sure if she should be insulted.

"Superior, I believe I may have discovered the girl's powers." Saix stood in front of the large room.

Xemnas raised an eyebrow. Saix took that as a sign to continue. "After meeting her, I noticed how if I made eye contact, I started to remember details about my somebody I couldn't remember before. As soon as I looked away, the memories stopped."

Saix left out the part about feeling emotions. He realized they weren't real, just memories. There was no reason to complicate things and possibly show a weakness. Xemnas knew he wasn't telling the whole truth, but decided he'd find out eventually. "Have you tested this fully?"

"While I was too cautious to ask directly, I made several members greet her, and then made them immediately go on missions. I noticed the performance rates were affected, and I can assume that's why."

"I see… And did everyone respond the same way?"

Saix nodded. "Nearly. Out of the seven I made go in there, only three didn't respond the same. I'm not sure if it's because they weren't affected, didn't make eye contact, or they could just handle it more efficiently."

"Interesting. Who were these people?"

Saix allowed a smirk to form. "Marluxia, Larxene and Axel."

"Excellent, I had planned on putting them in Castle Oblivion anyways. I'll send the girl with them as well."

"Very well, is there anything else?" Saix turned to leave.

"I believe Marluxia and Larxene are plotting something. Tell Axel he has to eliminate the traitors. Is there anyone else you believe is suspicious?"

Mentally, Saix smiled, the Superior wasn't as smart as everyone believed. "Vexen, Lexaeus and Zexion have been acting suspicious. Do you want me to tell them to leave as well?"

"Yes, come up with a project for them. You are dismissed."

Saix exited the room. His plan was coming along together nicely. He'd have to alert Axel, and maybe thank the girl while he was at it.

Saix angrily knocked on the girl's door. He couldn't believe that Xemnas had placed him in charge of further figuring out her powers. Saix couldn't do much. They couldn't use memories as a weapon. Then again, the daze he had felt after remembering… If he had been forced to fight he would had been at a great disadvantage.

Hearing no reply, Saix swung the door open. Namine was sitting on the floor, emerged in the picture she was drawing.

Saix peered down at it. It was actually a good drawing. It was of the night sky, with a large moon in the center. If Saix had time for such trivial things, he would have admired it. "Who gave you that?"

Namine jumped, not knowing anyone else was in the room. She wondered if she'd get in trouble. Eventually, she answered, "…Demyx."

Saix nearly sighed. Of course, Demyx would. That Nobody was nearly as useless as the one he was standing next to. It would make sense they'd forge a makeshift friendship.

"I've come to discover your powers."

Namine cocked her head to the side. "My powers?"

Saix glared, careful to avoid eye contact. "Yes, each member has something they have control over. I believe yours has to do with memories. However, that's such a useless power…"

Namine felt hurt at the jibe, but tried to ignore it. Demyx had told her horror stories of him.

Meanwhile, Saix was developing an idea. If she brought back memories, maybe she could take them away. Then, they would have a person who forgot how to fight. The Organization could use it against Sora. Or maybe, she could alter Sora's memories…

"Girl, you know about Sora." Namine nodded although it wasn't much of a question. In fact, she knew all about Sora. Strangely, she didn't know anything about herself or her somebody. In place were memories of Sora growing up.

Saix smiled coldly. "Good… I want you to draw a picture of me."

"What?" Namine looked at him. He was the last person she would expect to ask that.

"While drawing it, try to make it so I can remember it."

"What do you like?" Namine moved to look at him.

"Be creative." Saix privately seethed at his sarcastic response. It seemed that his mouth was acting on its own accord. Sarcasm required humor, which he did not have. The girl was making him act foolish, as if he had a heart and really felt amusement. There was no time for games like that, finding his heart was much more important.

Namine waited for the man to leave before drawing. When he made no move to, she sighed and got to work. Saix seemed like the type of person who enjoyed nothing, so she didn't know what to do. To make matters worse, he'd find it insulting. Besides, how was she supposed to make him remember it? She roughly sketched him walking around the city, mentally weaving a story in her mind. With her all her might, she willed him to remember it, although she doubted it would work. When she finished, she looked to Saix.

The Nobody glanced at the piece of paper and realized that he remembered that night in vivid detail. There were several flaws, but if he hadn't known it was artificial he would never had guessed. He had thought the girl's power wasn't instinctual like most, but she had figured it out so suddenly that maybe he was mistaken.

"It failed. It appears you can only manipulate memories around Sora."

Namine watched him leave. She was almost sure she had done it correctly, but obviously, it had failed. Although... She wondered why she would be able to manipulate Sora's memories.

Saix turned down the corridor and impatiently knocked on Axel's door.

"What is it?" Axel lazily flung the door open, and went back to lying on his bed.

"Do you remember the girl?"

Axel sat up. "Huh? You mean that witch?"

"Yes, it turns out she is stronger than I suspected." Saix didn't care to know why Axel thought she was a witch. "Her power isn't limited to Sora. I made her change one of my memories."

"Really? What's it like?" Axel was at full attention now. If the witch could do that, then she could be an asset.

Saix debated answering. "It feels real. If I didn't remember telling her to, I wouldn't believe it was fake."

Axel knew better than to ask him about the memory. Saix had always been finicky about the past in general, especially with memories. Axel's were fuzzier than some, but Saix would never help fill in the blanks. Sometimes it made Axel question if he even remembered all that well, but his discussions about how he remembered emotions said otherwise.

Eventually, Axel spoke. "We have to keep this from Xemnas."

Saix gave a single nod. "Yes, I already told the girl it was ineffective."

"It seems our goal might have just gotten easier." Axel grinned. Eventually he might get Isa back.

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><p>AN: Sorry if this chapter was kind of boring, it's just, I can't see Saix exactly having a conversation with Namine if it wasn't by force. And, yes, I realize I took an Artisic license with Namine's powers, only being able to manipulate a single person's memories, and those surrounding him just seems a little too specific in my opinion.<p>

Next one will either be Axel or Zexion. If you really want a certain one, feel free to let me know.


	5. Axel

AN: Here's Axel. I hope I got him right... Btw, happy snow day to all of those who got one (like me!)

Disclaimer: Don't own.

_What's in a Name?_

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><p>Namine stared at the redhead. She vaguely remembered meeting him once, but neither had spoken a word. Now he was grinning like an idiot with his hand outstretched. Namine looked at it and cautiously tilted her head.<p>

"You shake it." He said with a smirk, suddenly remembering that she did not have many memories.

Namine thought shaking someone's hand seemed strange, but awkwardly griped his leather-clad hand anyways. Realizing how uncomfortable the situation was, Axel pulled away. The young witch gave a tentative smile.

Axel smirked. "The name's Axel. Got it memorized?"

"What?"

Namine once more tilted her head to the side. Axel seemed to enjoy confusing her. The man chuckled. "What's your name?"

A slow smile spread across Namine's face. Never once had anyone asked for her name. Either they knew it already or just didn't care. Although it did not bother her, she appreciated the kindness. She brushed a stray strand of platinum hair from her face. "My name is Namine."

"Namine, eh?" Axel smiled.

Namine allowed a grin before going back to her sketchbook. She was sure Axel was there for Marluxia, who would be back soon. Besides, if Marluxia saw her not working, he would punish her. Sora would be coming soon, he had said. Deep down inside, she realized manipulating his memories was wrong, but the witch couldn't do anything to stop it. If she hesitated, Marluxia would hurt her in more ways than one. Besides, in a sick way, she desperately craved the companionship.

"What're you drawing?" Axel tried to peer down, but her hand was in the way.

Namine glanced at it and removed it, leaving a picture of Sora and herself. They were sitting on a beach, allowing the waves to brush their feet. In the distance, Riku was gathering Paopu fruit. All three looked incredibly relaxed, even with the sketchy feel.

Axel looked surprised. "So that's what Sora looks like?"

Namine nodded and furrowed her brow. "Yes… why do you ask?"

"No reason." He forced a laugh. To most Nobodies it sounded real, but to Namine it sounded bitter and forced. She frowned, but did not say anything.

"Why are you here?" Namine scolded herself for being so rude. She was scared though, if he wasn't supposed to talk to her, and Marluxia came back…

"I just thought I'd visit you. I guess you could say I'm lonely."

Namine smiled. She hadn't realized anyone was actually nice. Several people had appeared nice to her, but she had a feeling it was an act. Larxene had told her about everyone hating her, and there was no reason to lie.

Axel grinned back and felt a stab of pity for the girl. It puzzled him but he let it go. Obviously, no one had shown her any form of kindness.

"I'm lonely too… Why are you lonely?" Namine asked in a rush. She knew she shouldn't pry, but it was obvious why she was lonely. She wanted to know why he was too. For once, she actually had something in common with someone.

Axel hesitated before answering. "I had to go on this dumb mission and now I can't see my best friend."

"Wow, you have a best friend?" Shyness abandoned, Namine's eyes shone with delight.

Axel found himself genuinely smiling. "Yeah, he's a lot like Sora. Sometimes we go on missions together for the Organization."

Not knowing what to say, Namine returned to drawing with a new light in her eyes. Axel found himself pretending to be Lea. Isa had liked to draw, and Lea liked watching him. Although Isa's drawings were elegant pastel art, Axel found the drawings pretty, nonetheless. He remembered how he always had used to annoy Isa, who was concentrating on his work. Axel would not dare try that on Namine, but the thought tempted him. He rolled his green eyes; Isa was always such a downer…

Namine noticed this and looked at him questioningly. Axel shrugged sheepishly, urging her to go back to her work with his body language. Namine glanced at him one last time, but complied.

Axel carelessly tossed his chakram into the air. He watched it glisten in the light before tossing it once more. Again, the red and silver melded together into shimmer. Axel was so distracted that the chakram fell to the floor.

Axel would have blushed if he had had a heart. He couldn't believe he'd gotten distracted by something shiny. He hadn't had that problem since he was a teenager. Isa had always been scolding him for getting distracted during school.

Too absorbed in his musings, he hadn't noticed Marluxia right behind him. "Getting sloppy Axel?"

Axel spun around to face Marluxia, who was quietly smirking. His hair was slightly disheveled, and he wondered if he had saw Sora. It looked as if he had done some running. Axel was curious, but didn't bother to ask, knowing he wouldn't receive a real answer. He soon remembered to retort with an, "You wish."

Marluxia stared at Namine, who had stopped drawing. "Did you take good care of my doll?"

"I wouldn't call her that, but yeah. We had fun." Axel sadly looked at her. He hated leaving her alone with Marluxia, but he had things to do.

"Thank you, you're dismissed."

Axel scoffed. It wasn't like Marluxia was in charge of him. He smiled at Namine. "Catch you later."

Namine watched as he stepped into the dark corridor. Unbeknownst to him, he had just shown her that not everyone was deliberately cruel. Namine looked downwards. Too bad everyone she was stuck with was.


	6. Demyx

AN: Sorry this was posted later in the day than normal. I had a really hard time with Demyx, I guess because his personality seems to change more than the others. Feedback is always appreciated. Also, thanks for all the reviews I've gotten so far, it's very encouraging.

Disclaimer: I'm not profiting from this. Why? Because Square Enix owns Kingdom Hearts, not me.

_Lollygag_

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><p>Namine jumped at the sound of someone entering her room. Saix and Xemnas were the only ones she had seen so far, but they implied there were more. With her luck it would be a complete stranger. She cautiously turned around to see a younger male with messy blond hair.<p>

Demyx groaned. Saix had shoved him through the door and quickly shut it, with absolutely no explanation. Maybe they had finally decided to use torture, and he was the test subject… Demyx noticed the small girl in the room and his scowl melted into a beaming smile.

He was almost too cheerful for Namine's taste, although it was welcome in a way. Everything else had been so neutral. She shook off the unnatural feeling of it all. "Hi! I'm Demyx."

Namine was about to open her mouth, and say that she didn't have a name when he butted in. "You… you look just like Namine…"

"Who?"

Demyx cocked his head to the side. He had never seen anyone who actually looked like Namine before. "She was this princess who died a long time ago… In my old world, she died protecting our country, so we would always celebrate her…"

"Oh, well… since I don't have a name, I guess you can call me that."

Demyx smiled and gave her a hug. Namine struggled, but he wouldn't let go. Suddenly, he dropped her. "Wait; didn't the Superior give you a name when you met?"

Namine frowned. "No, was he supposed to?"

Demyx frowned and tilted his head. "That's really weird, but if I'm the one to name you, that means I'm like the Superior, cool."

"What? And why do you always do that weird thing with your head?"

Demyx appeared to look confused for moment before grinning once more. Namine wondered why his face didn't hurt. "You mean this?" He tilted his head.

Namine nodded.

"It means you're confused. Since I'm not the best at facial expressions, I do that to let people know I'm confused."

"Like this?" Namine mirrored Demyx's actions.

He made a show of clapping. "Yeah, this way people know you're confused. It is a good thing I taught this to you, because you barely even smile. Don't you have memories?"

Namine shook her head. At least, none of herself.

"Maybe that explains it. You're a lot like Roxas."

Namine didn't know who Roxas was, but didn't care enough to ask. If it were important, she would find out eventually. At least she hoped. So far, no one had told her much of anything.

They sat in silence for several minutes. Demyx started to fidget, and Namine wondered why. She was slightly uncomfortable as well, but he made such a big show about it. Besides, uncomfortable silence was much better than sitting alone bored any day.

"Umm… you want to see my sitar?" Demyx was a wreck at that point.

Namine could tell how nervous he seemed and took pity on him. Although she had no idea what a sitar was, she nodded anyway.

"Great!" Demyx seemed to pull the strange guitar like object from midair. Soon, he was playing a fast melody. She watched in awe as he strummed the grey cords. Namine thought it sounded familiar, and that would make sense. In her room, she could vaguely hear things that were coming from somewhere below her. Demyx must have used that area to practice. Either that or she was insane and hallucinating from boredom.

The tempo picked up, and to Namine's bafflement, music notes started to dance around her room. The music notes were made of water and strangely held form. Demyx's eyes closed, and he seemed to only pay attention to his music. When the song was over, the music notes dropped to the floor, leaving Namine's entire bedroom soaked.

Namine pursed her lips. The entire place was soaked, and with what she knew of the Organization, she'd just have to wait for it to dry. Demyx opened his eyes and realized what he had done. "I'm so sorry Namine! I can get my nobodies to clean it up and change your sheets."

Namine nodded and to her surprise, several pink _things _appeared out of thin air. She flinched and held still. Although Demyx seemed to be in control of them, they resembled the terrible creatures that brought in her food. They had not harmed her, but the way they snaked around and nearly touched her terrified the witch.

In several minutes, the strange things were gone and room was exactly how it had been before. "I'm really sorry Namine. I will make it up to you! Hm… I bet you're totally bored, right?"

Namine nodded so eagerly she reminded herself of Demyx. "Yeah, what do you guys do to pass time?"

Demyx's eyes widened. He had no idea if the higher ups would allow him to tell her that. "Well, we do …favors… for the Organization. There's no way you can do that, so how about I get you something to do in here."

Namine stared into his eyes, and Demyx found himself taking a step back. Her eyes were so blue… He shook his head and wracked his brain for ideas. "How about something to draw with?"

The Nobody didn't know what drawing was, but it sounded harmless. "Ok…"

"That's great. I'll bring those back soon…" Demyx left quickly in a strange black portal.

Namine was puzzled… Demyx had been so hyper until he had left. Suddenly, he looked as if he wanted to be anywhere else, and his voice held no emotion. For a second, he reminded her of Saix. He had always seemed to want to leave quickly as well. However, at first, Demyx seemed friendly. Even when he left, his words were friendly. Namine tilted her head. She had the strangest feeling about the 'Organization.'


	7. Xigbar

AN: Sorry in advance for any typos. I came home this afternoon and realized I didn't have one ready. Also, sorry for the slight out of charactness in this chapter. I just wanted to get my point across that Namine had some weird effects on the members, especially the founding members.

Disclaimer: I'm definitely not creative enough to come up with Kingdom Hearts, only the Square Enix team is.

_Space_

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><p>Namine glanced at the door worriedly. She had been gone for hours. If Marluxia weren't already looking for her, he would be soon. Namine knew the risks, but didn't care.<p>

The Nobody stared out the window. She closed her eyes and an unknown tune came to mind. To her knowledge, she was at the only window is Castle Oblivion. She had always wondered why there weren't any others, and almost thought it was to make her even more miserable. Once before, she had fled from Marluxia. Her punishment had been severe then, and she knew this would be worse.

Namine didn't care, though. She needed to escape one last time. She was many things, but wasn't a fool. The final battle between Marluxia and Sora was approaching. Everyone was dropping like flies, and she knew that soon she could be next. Even if Sora won, there would be no real purpose for her. Either the Organization would come back or she'd wander the castle until she faded away.

The cloudy sky seemed to portray her thoughts. The door opened with a loud creak. Bitterly, Namine whipped around. She was intent on standing up to Marluxia just once. To her surprise, it was not Marluxia.

"Hey, it's Xigbar. You remember me?"

It all came back to Namine. He had introduced himself and left after talking for a few minutes back in the other castle. The bell inside her head rang safe. Well, safer than Marluxia. She bobbed her head up and down.

He smirked. "Good to know I'm not that forgettable. You should go back; Marluxia is pret-ty mad."

Namine frowned. Mustering all her courage, she gazed into his eyes. "Are you going to make me?"

Xigbar flinched, although not for the reason Namine assumed. He looked away. "Of course not. I'm just saying… You should go back now before Marluxia goes to find you himself."

Her harsh figure crumpled, revealing a grateful smile. "But you won't tell him where I am?"

"Nope. What're you doing out her anyway?"

Namine stared down. That tune came to mind again. "I wanted to look out into space one more time."

Xigbar hummed and looked through the window. "Well you picked a bad time for that."

"I know…" Namine sighed and stared at the layer of clouds covering the stars.

Xigbar glanced down at the girl. He knew that she was probably going to die soon. Marluxia would most likely win, and there would be no further use for her… "Hey, I know a place where you can see the stars."

Namine looked at him with furrowed brows. "What do you mean?"

Xigbar opened up a dark corridor and outstretched his hand. "Do you trust me?"

"No." She took his hand nevertheless.

"Good," Xigbar chuckled and took them to some far off place.

Namine stumbled slightly. Although she could now make her own corridors, she would never get used to them. She looked around. They were in a large field with golden grass that came up to her waist. It was dark, but she could still see well.

'_This would be a great place to kill me and hide the body.' _Namine thought bluntly.

"You have five minutes," Xigbar muttered, looking around. It was not every day he came to Pride Lands. He looked at Namine. She was too engrossed in the stars. The girl probably didn't even realize she wasn't human stared up into the descending night sky. She immediately found several constellations. Sora, Riku and Kairi would go stargazing when they were younger. The darkness completely descended and she found herself relaxed. For the first time in her life, she felt truly free, even if Xigbar was watching her closely. Still, she knew that it would never happen again, so she tried to absorb the feeling.

The stars twinkled. They were brighter, much more so than on Destiny Islands. There were so many, and she realized that some of the stars were worlds, just like the one she currently inhabited. Namine fell down on the soft grass.

Feeling something was wrong, she looked down at her hand, no _paw_. She gasped in shock and stood back up. For the first time, she realized that she was on four legs. If she could have, she would have blushed. Namine prided herself on being perceptive, but that was just plain obliviousness.

Xigbar snorted. Namine looked up and realized that he was a bright blue bird with an eye patch. Under different circumstances she would have laughed. "It's about time you noticed. Let's go. Marluxia's going to be mad, you owe me."

Namine didn't say a word. She walked into the corridor and found herself human once more. She now knew why she had felt so free. As soon as she entered Castle Oblivion, she felt suffocated between the ivory walls.

"Hey kid. I've gotta go. You should do the same." Xigbar walked out the door, intent on telling Marluxia the girl's whereabouts.

Surprisingly, Marluxia was waiting for him in the hallway. He sneered. "That was out of character for you."

Xigbar shrugged. "Well, she'll be dead soon enough. Figured I could allow her something. Besides, she likes space, how could I deny her that?"

"I see… You respond just like all the others. I assumed you would be stronger than that." Marluxia smirked and stormed off.

Xigbar teleported away before he heard him with Namine. Even he did not want to see that commotion. Xigbar frowned, reviewing Marluxia's words mentally. He wondered what Marluxia had meant with the last bit. Sighing, he brushed it off before leaving the castle. He would have to report to Xemnas all the treachery going on. It didn't bother Xigbar, but the Boss wouldn't be too pleased. At the same time, he wondered if there was anything he could do for Namine. She seemed so familiar.


	8. Xemnas

AN: Sorry I'm posting this so late. It's short too, but I don't really have time to make it longer right now. I was supposed to leave for school five minutes ago.

Disclaimer: I don't own Kingdom Hearts

_Introductions_

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><p>Namine ran around the dark city. She had nothing, no name, no sense of belonging, absolutely no memories -save for a pair of blue eyes. There was something wrong about the large skyscrapers, she knew that much. If she looked up, she would have seen a huge castle.<p>

Xemnas walked along the blacktop. Xaldin had reported seeing someone. After checking with Zexion's nose, they realized it was a Nobody. As leader, it was Xemnas's responsibility to force them to join. He found the person. Judging by height, it was a girl, with long blonde hair. She was only wearing a plain white dress.

He thought it was interesting that such a frail being was a Nobody. Xemnas went up to her anyway. Worst-case scenario, he would have to eliminate her. He hadn't had much practice lately, and could use it.

Namine saw a black figure approach her. He blended in with the streets so well that she wouldn't have seen him if he was still. Instead, he was calmly walking towards her.

Namine did the only thing she could do. She ran as fast as her small legs would allow. To her surprise, the man seemed to disappear and come next to her in the darkness. Namine skid on the ground, trying to avoid crashing into him. It didn't work, but he easily dodged her anyway.

The figure laid a cold, gloved hand on her shoulder, preventing her from turning and running. She twisted in his grip. Xemnas looked at her cautiously. If he could have felt, he would have been stumbling back in shock. Although the hair was all wrong, it was definitely Kairi. To his understanding, Princesses of Hearts could not produce nobodies. He wondered what his fool of a heartless had been up to recently.

"What is your name?"

Namine jumped at the powerful voice. She looked at him. Maybe he would have answers. She spoke, but her voice was raspy. "I… don't know…"

Xemnas smirked, although it was lost to Namine due to his hood. The girl didn't have any self-righteous memories. He had always hated Kairi.

"I see. You are a Nobody. You belong nowhere but with us."

Namine appeared sad. Xemnas almost wanted to laugh. Sometimes it took a while before they realized they couldn't feel. Namine hung her head down.

"My name is Xemnas. I am the leader of an organization. You belong with us, we're like you."

"What?"

Xemnas pulled his hood down. He opened a portal. "Come with me, and you'll have a home." It was a lie, but he needed to goad the girl into coming.

Namine had a bad feeling about Xemnas. But… There was nowhere else for her to go. Xemnas saw her thoughts displayed on her face and stepped into the dark corridor. Namine held her breath and walked through.

Namine's eyes widened at the large white room. There was a total of thirteen seats, although the thirteenth was empty. Namine stared at the many faces, there were so many she knew she wouldn't remember any of them. Several of them had shocking hair colors. Others were only remarkable from their leers.

Her eyes instead fixed on Xemnas's face. He was sitting on the tallest chair of them all, like a king looking over his subjects. Namine knew he was speaking, and about her judging by his gestures, but Namine couldn't understand anything. A rushing feeling went through her ears. Xemnas's eyes changed from amber to grey, and blackness enveloped her vision.

The last things she heard before going down was sinister laughter. "Looks like the little brat fainted."

She swore Xemnas was the one who replied. "Now, now Larxene. Don't be cruel to our… guest."

Little did she know, she'd never see Xemnas again.


	9. Lexaeus

AN: Here's another chapter. I almost have all of them written, so expect regular updates for sure from now on. Reviews make my day, just saying...

Disclaimer: I still don't own Kingdom Hearts, or anything to do with it.

_Emotional_

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><p>Namine was lounging on the couch Lexaeus was kind enough to allow her to use. Marluxia had been forcing other people to watch her more and more. She wasn't quite sure why. Maybe Larxene had said something about her eavesdropping. Of course, it was not like Namine minded. While she hated being a burden, she hated being above ground even more.<p>

It was definitely warmer, but in the basement the lights seemed to dim. It was bad enough she was wearing white, but having white everywhere else made things worse. In the basement, everything appeared to be a calmer grey. The Nobodies were also nicer. Well, they weren't nice, but at least they weren't openly cruel.

Lexaeus was training in the bare room. Things were getting more serious, and he knew that any minute he could have to fight Riku. Axel and Marluxia were acting suspicious, from what Vexen had said. To make matters worse, the Replica wasn't working as well as they had hoped. He was beginning to show signs of freethinking.

Namine doodled with her finger on the velvety grey material of the sofa. She was disturbed when a particularly strong strike from Lexaeus's tomahawk sent her flying off the couch and onto the hard concrete.

"Oof!" Namine blushed. Lexaeus stared at her before going back to his training. She had been taken off guard much too easily, obviously she was thinking about something. He wondered what it was. Maybe, she could act as a spy for them all, Marluxia and Larxene seemed to spend a lot of time her, from what he had deduced.

First, he would have to gain her trust, which shouldn't be hard. After all, compared to Marluxia and Larxene, he was a saint. Vexen wasn't particularly kind to the girl either.

"Namine."

Namine's head snapped towards Lexaeus's, who was standing opposite her. She looked up at him. He rarely said anything, so she intended to absorb every word.

"How is it upstairs?" Lexaeus hoped she would take the bait soon.

Namine avoided his gaze. "It's fine…"

"Hm, for a Nobody, you're a bad liar."

Namine looked at him in shock. "It's really not that bad."

"…But it's not great?" He'd be a great actor. In a way, he really did pity her. For some reason, the thought of using her tore at him. Quickly, he brushed it aside. There was no time for fake sentiments.

"Larxene's just kind of mean…" Namine trailed off, seeing his inquisitive look. "Well…I-I think they might be planning something. I don't know why they want Sora so badly, when there are obviously more key blade wielders."

Lexaeus stared at the girl. The information was helpful, but not by much. Vexen had already told them the majority of it. "What else have they been doing?"

"Marluxia has been talking with Axel. I haven't been able to hear much, but I've heard them talking about traitors." Namine knew she shouldn't say anything, but part of her desperately wanted to harm Marluxia, in any way possible.

Lexaeus was pleased. He had just gotten the proof they needed. Now, he, Zexion and Vexen could work to eliminate them finally. His stony gaze turned towards the girl. Looking at her brought back memories he wanted to forget. While she looked nothing like Kairi, they had the same presence.

Lexaeus remembered her. Kairi was their 'princess.' Dimly, he could even remember nicknaming her that. He remembered that it took Ienzo the longest time to realize that it wasn't her real name. Ansem had quickly realized she was a Princess of Heart, and allowed her to visit often. Thus, he had dubbed her Princess. For a toddler, she had been bright. Kairi had spent the majority of her time in the lab, with Ansem's supervision. It had been much too dangerous for the guards to come see her, but she adored Aeleus. Every so often, he'd get to visit.

He looked into her eyes, no, _Kairi's_ eyes. For just a second he could almost feel. Slowly, he shook his head. Lexaeus had seen what happened when Nobodies pretended too much. He wondered just what had happened. He had felt like Aeleus, but thankfully, the thought soon left his head.

Lexaeus didn't say another word. He picked up his tomahawk and started training with new ferocity. Namine absently thought she must have done something wrong, but figured there was nothing she could do about it. It was not the first time someone had randomly ignored her. She was a Nobody…


	10. Xaldin

AN: Exams suck. They seem to suck the life out of me. On another note, here's what's so far my favorite chapter.

Disclaimer: Still don't own...

_Insomnia_

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><p>Namine lay in her white bed. She couldn't sleep, but it was to be expected. After all, she had nothing to do but draw. If she remembered anything, she knew that being sedentary would cause one to stay awake. It was incredibly dark, but the pale walls seemed to give off their own dim light.<p>

For the last few nights, Namine just could not sleep. Lying in bed was boring. An idea clicked into her head. Everyone else would be asleep, so it would be the perfect time to find a way out. After Saix forced her back into her room once, she realized she was a prisoner. There was no way should could beat a bunch of Nobodies, but if they were all asleep, maybe a miracle could happen.

Namine fumbled to her door in the dark. Half expecting it to be locked, she was pleasantly surprised when it swung right open. The castle was still lit up. Namine gulped; maybe they had unusual sleeping schedules. The constant darkness could have messed up their internal clocks.  
>She sighed and continued walking along. There wasn't any time to be thinking about things. If they found her, something told her they wouldn't just send her back.<p>

Pausing at what seemed like a way out, Namine stepped towards the door. It was unlocked. That made her a little anxious, if it was the way out she doubted they would leave it open.

Namine exhaled the breath she didn't know she had been holding. It wasn't the door out, but it wasn't someone's bedroom. She walked onto the large balcony. There was no moon, but it remained light enough to see. The floor seemed to illuminate the area.

"What are you doing here?"

Namine jumped at the voice. She frantically turned around and let out a small groan when she realized she was not alone. Sitting on the edge of the balcony was a large man. He had come into her room once. It was fuzzy, but she remembered him snarling and storming out.

"I…I couldn't sleep." Namine gazed away from him. He was one of the people she wanted to avoid.

"Hn…" Xaldin didn't move from his position on the edge.

Now Namine was intrigued. Wasn't she obvious? Timidly, she walked over to the ledge. She did a double take when she realized how high up they were.

"Scared of heights?" For the first time, she saw Xaldin smirk.

Namine bit her lip and avoided the long drop. "No…"

Xaldin's smirk slowly vanished and he didn't say anything for a long time. It made Namine uncomfortable in a way. His presence was very imposing. She wondered if it was power she felt. In the dim lights, Namine could make out what appeared to be weapons. Not one, several.

"Is it regular?"

Namine turned. "What?"

"Do you have trouble falling asleep often?" Xaldin seemed annoyed.

"Oh, yeah." Namine twiddled her thumbs.

Sighing, she sat down. Normally, she would be nervous about doing that next to Xaldin, but sleep was overcoming her. Xaldin noticed and leaned away reflexively. Everyone knew not to disturb him when he was having trouble sleeping, but obviously, the girl didn't get it.

"You too?" Namine turned to face him.

Xaldin was careful to avoid her eyes. "At times. Although it doesn't affect me like it would you."

He moved his hands behind his back. Namine winced, she wouldn't even let her legs dangle off the ledge, and she was still holding on with both hands. "What do you mean?"

He shrugged a mask of indifference on his face. "I've experienced insomnia since I was whole. I'm used to being tired."

"It never goes away?" Namine asked alarm. While she eventually got some sleep, it certainly wasn't enough.

"Not for me. I don't know about you." Namine tensed, but Xaldin didn't care. There was no point in hiding facts.

Namine sighed and looked at the empty sky. Although there were not any clouds, there were not any stars. It was depressing in a way.

Xaldin turned in the direction of the sigh. He gazed at Namine. She was looking at the sky and had no idea he was looking at her. Xaldin rolled his eyes. Some were too unobservant. He looked closer and noticed the purple circles under her eyes. The shadows made them worse, giving her a raccoon like appearance.

Xaldin made a face. He hated weakness. There was no use of it the Organization. If the girl was going to get exhausted so easily, then it was good she was going to be gone. In a way, he still felt bad. He knew exactly what she was going through. If it had not been plaguing him for years, he'd probably be just as weak.

"As you already know, if you wait long enough, you'll go to sleep." Xaldin spoke emotionlessly. Namine turned to look at him. "However, waiting that long isn't always desirable. If it becomes too difficult, take this."

Xaldin reached into his coat pocket and withdrew a purple vial. Namine stared at it cautiously. "What is it?"

A small smirk formed on his face. "At least you're more suspicious than some members… It's a potion that'll make you go to sleep. There are two doses in there."

Namine took the glass vial from his hands. It was so small, she wasn't sure half of it would be enough. "Why don't you take it?"

The truth was it was incredibly hard to make. Xaldin just wasn't skilled at things like that. Unlike Vexen, he didn't waste copious amounts of time in the lab. Also unlike Vexen, he would never admit a weakness, even one as simple as insomnia. "It puts you to sleep for over ten hours. I don't have enough time for that."

"Oh…" Namine stood up. She cradled the potion in her arms. It wasn't a lot, but two nights of uninterrupted sleep was better than none.

Xaldin became restless. He wasn't used to being with someone for such a long stretch of time. "Saix often stays up at night, along with several others."

Namine cocked her head to the side. Her face lit up as the warning dawned upon her. She inched her way to the door. "Ok, goodnight."

Xaldin huffed. The girl made no move to leave. "Go before I tell Saix you were trying to find a way out."

Shock made its way to her face. Soon she replaced it with a smile. "Goodnight again. Thank you."

Namine yawned as she approached her room. It seemed she would be able to save his gift for another day. Tucked in bed, her only thought was that she hadn't caught the man's name.


	11. Zexion

AN: Here's another one. Zexion's my favorite character, so let me know if I messed him up. I think it turned out pretty well, myself.

Disclaimer: Kingdom Hearts and everything in it either belongs to Square Enix or Disney, not me.

_Down the Rabbit Hole_

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><p>Namine found herself running down the long winding stairs. She stumbled often, but picked herself back up as soon as it happened. The corridors started to dim. The blinding white of the upper floor was turning into a neutral grey. Honestly, it was refreshing. Soon, she reached a dead end. Namine stumbled around stupidly, until she noticed another's presence.<p>

"May I ask what you're doing here?" A cool voice came from the shadows.

Namine jumped and anxiously looked around. Eventually she saw a shadowy figure and walked towards it. "I-I…got lost."

The figure stepped out, revealing to be a boy not much older than she was. "I can smell the lie. Now, would you please make things easier and tell me the truth?"

Namine cocked her head at his command. To her understanding, you couldn't smell a lie. She debated if she should tell him the truth. "I'm hiding from…"

"From Marluxia. I see. I suppose you want me to allow you to hide here?"

Namine uncertainly nodded. Zexion allowed a smirk to from before answering, "It's a good thing I despise Marluxia. You may call me Zexion, or VI if you prefer."

Zexion began walking away and Namine quickly followed him. She did not remember much about him, but he shocked her. Nobody had ever been so unnecessarily nice to her before. She was sure that if Marluxia discovered them, he would get in trouble. They wove through rooms but Namine's thoughts still wondered. For some strange reason, Zexion reminded her of a cat.

Caught up in these dreamlike thoughts, Namine didn't even realize that Zexion had stopped. She quickly collided into him. The girl looked down and muttered a soft apology. Usually she wouldn't allow her thoughts to wander like that.

Zexion didn't seem effected. He just unlocked the door he had stopped at and stepped in. "It's fine, but in the future, please watch where you're going."

Namine nodded and followed him into the room. Unlike all the others, it was a periwinkle grey. It was still a grey, but at least it was not the monochromatic type.

"I hope you don't mind. But, the ridiculous white scheme of the castle annoys me." He answered for her, as if sensing her thoughts. "Please, take a seat."

Namine obeyed and found a plush black chair to sit in. "Thank you…"

Zexion curtly replied, "You're welcome. Why were you hiding in the first place?"

"Well… Marluxia left and there was no one around. I'm almost always being watched, so I took the opportunity and ran." Namine bit her lip. Zexion could change his mind and send her back.

Zexion stood there, mentally trying to analyze the situation. "I dislike Marluxia and this should upset him. Therefore, I'll keep you here for as long as possible."

Namine sighed and turned away from him. She hated helping Marluxia. Soon her stomach growled, interrupting her thoughts. Namine felt her face heat up.

Zexion silently sighed. Of course, the traitors wouldn't feed the girl properly. "When was the last time you ate?"

Namine shrugged, having no sense of time.

This time his sigh was audible. "Very well, let's get you something to eat."

Zexion walked towards another door. He disappeared and Namine sat there for several minutes. Eventually, the awkward feeling got the best of her, and she practically ran through the small door.

Namine was surprised to see a kitchen. Even more surprising was Zexion hard at work, preparing some sort of soup. It actually smelled really well and she assumed he made it often. She would have never guessed any of the Organization members actually cooked.

Zexion stirred the soup and allowed it to sit for several minutes before dishing it out. He hadn't made miso soup in a long time. It was his somebody's favorite food, and he had loved to make it in the castle's kitchen. From a young age, Ienzo had been fascinated with cooking. Even had always tried to dissuade him, saying it was a "fruitless hobby", but Ienzo had never cared. By the time he had become Zexion, he was quite good at it, if he said so himself.

He handed her a bowl and they ate in absolute silence. Namine seemed to inhale the soup. Apparently, she had gone longer than she thought without eating. The word miso came to her mind, and she realized that her somebody must have ate it. Maybe Zexion had made it for her. Namine had begun to piece things together. If she knew Vexen, she obviously knew Zexion as well.

"I thought the lesser nobodies cooked." Namine said when she was done. At least, she had assumed that. Whenever she had received food before, a dusk had always brought it up.

Zexion swallowed before answering. "While they can, I find their food sub par at best."

Vaguely Zexion remembered the princess telling him he was too picky and ungrateful. He found it ironic coming from someone the age of four who had whatever she desired.

When they were finished, Zexion gathered the dishes and placed them in the kitchen. Namine quickly washed them for him.

"You didn't have to do that." He told her once they were back in his main room.

Namine fiddled with a strand of hair. "I know, it's just you've done so much for me."

Zexion frowned. He had done what any polite person would do.

"If you're bored, there are plenty of books for you to read. You may draw as well, as long as you don't do anything to help the traitors."

"T-traitors?"

Zexion seemed to scowl. "Yes, the ones in charge of you are planning to overthrow the Organization. When it was just the originals, things got along so much smoother…"

Guilt weighing on her, Namine went and grabbed a book titled "Alice's Adventures in Wonderland." She was absorbed in the storyline, and had soon completed it. In a way, she felt like Alice. The basement was so surreal to her, when she came back to the surface she always wondered if she was dreaming.

Namine set the book off to the side and observed Zexion, who was reading a large black tome. There was something about him that reminded her of a cat. Namine just couldn't brush the thought off. He was so calm and poised, and seemed to do things only with half a care. Namine almost expected to see him start cleaning his face. She shook the idea away.

The minutes passed by and Zexion was still reading. His eyes hadn't left the book once, and Namine became bored. It was uncomfortable being near him without saying anything. She didn't know why. He seemed to be the closest to her in age. Lexeaus, Vexen, Marluxia, even Larxene appeared to be at least ten years older than her. Zexion appeared to be only two or three, but he still made her nervous.

Vaguely, she felt as if she was a freshman alone with some scary senior. This surprised Namine, as Kairi would have just started high school. Therefore, she should not know what it's like. Absently, she thought she should tell Vexen. He would find it interesting, at least.

The sound of Zexion turning the page was loud and snapped Namine out of her thoughts. She worked up the courage to say something. "What are you reading?"

"I'm not."

Namine cocked her head in an annoying manner that made Zexion think of Demyx.

Zexion rolled his eyes. "I'm thinking."

"Oh… about what?" Namine's curiosity outweighed her fear.

"Curiosity killed the cat."

Namine almost laughed. Maybe he was a mind reader. She smirked. "But satisfaction brought it back."

"Very well." He allowed the ghost of a smile to form, knowing that if he could feel he would be pleased. However, he couldn't just tell her he had been thinking about her somebody and his old life. Talking about somebodies was a faux pas and nearly unheard of. Eventually he came up with a suitable answer. "I'm devising a way to outsmart the traitors."

"Well, that should be easy." Namine blushed at what she had just said.

Zexion was taken aback. He had never heard her speak so freely. The others said she rarely talked, especially about the upstairs people. Before he knew it, a soft chuckle had escaped. "Thank you, I'm glad you're confident in my abilities."

Suddenly, he stood. "It's getting late, and Marluxia is starting to head towards the basement. You should leave before he discovers you."

Namine smiled sadly and got off the velvety chair. She wondered if Zexion could smell him, even she could smell flowers when he was near. "Thank you again Zexion."

He nodded. "I trust you know you're way out. And, Namine, if you ever find yourself in this situation again, feel free to come find me."

Namine did not know why he would be so kind, but smiled anyway and exited the room. She easily made her why back to the staircase and sighed. With each step, she would be closer to Marluxia and away from her Wonderland.


	12. Luxord

AN: I'm sorry for the lateness, and any boring poker rules that I couldn't figure a way around putting in. After this, there's only one chapter left. Thanks for reading, and sticking with it.

Disclaimer: Square Enix owns Kingdom Hearts, not me.

_Love_

* * *

><p>Luxord calmly strode into the room. He had no idea what was in it, only that Saix seemed want him there. To his surprise, there was the young girl Xemnas had introduced them to earlier. She had light blonde hair, and the dress she was wearing gave her a ghostly feel.<p>

Namine turned and looked at the man. He was one of many Saix had sent into her room. Well, in Demyx's case shoved… She wasn't sure exactly what Saix was trying to accomplish, most left after a couple minutes. Usually they didn't speak a word.

"Hello, dear. I'm Luxord. It appears Saix's implying I should talk to you."

Namine gave a shy smile. While he had not asked for her name, she figured it was incentive enough. "I'm Namine."

Luxord allowed a smile and took a better look at the girl. Her eyes were very large, blinding him with their blue. For a moment all Luxord could think about was Lena. It had been so long since he'd seen her. Luxord quickly shook the thought out of his head. He wondered what brought that up, certainly it wasn't Namine. His Lena had auburn hair and brown eyes, nothing at all like Namine.

Looking for a distraction, he quickly said, "How about we play a game?"

Namine cocked her head to the side. Luxord was definitely different from the others. She eventually nodded in agreement.

Luxord seemed to pull a deck of cards from nowhere. He gingerly shuffled them, and Namine gazed at the strange symbols on the back. "Of course, we'll have to play for something. I will admit I'm rather acquisitive. Leaving empty handed isn't an option."

"Well, I don't have anything to give."

Luxord seemed to ponder it over. "How about information? That'll do just as well."

"Ok, but I don't know how to play…" Namine fingered the two cards he had dealt her.

Luxord's eyes brightened at that. If she had never played before, it would be much easier to win. "I'll deal you two cards. After that, we'll have the flop. That is when three cards are dealt. Then comes the turn, which is when another card is dealt. The final card is called the river, which is when I'll deal the final card. At any given time, you can fold, but that will forfeit your chances of winning, so you'll have to tell me something. Since we're not betting accurately, whoever wins will get to ask a question."

"Ok, but how do you win?" Namine absorbed the information. Luxord was speaking rather fast, and he had an odd accent, which made it harder to understand.

"Whoever has the better hand. You'll want at least a pair or two pair. After that, there's three of a kinds and four of a kinds. There's also straights, which are five cards all in ascending order. A flush is five cards of the same suit. A straight flush is both combined, and a royal flush is both combined with an ace, king, queen, jack and ten. There's also a full house, which is a pair and a three of a kind."

Namine peeked at her cards. There were two aces. That should be a pair, which Luxord said was good. She looked at him expectantly.

"Hm… This isn't going to work well since we're not gambling anything. Just let me know whenever you're ready."

"I'm finished."

He dealt the flop. It didn't have anything that would help Namine so she just waited for Luxord. She noticed his face didn't change at all while he was playing.

"Ready?" Namine nodded. Luxord dealt the turn, which was an ace. Namine allowed a satisfied smile to form. Luxord watched, as she was easy to read. Since there wasn't anything to bet, they continued. The river revealed an ace. Namine grinned, a four of a kind sounded like a good hand.

"Show your cards." Luxord turned his cards over, revealing a flush.

"Does this beat that?" Luxord couldn't believe she had gotten a four of kind, with aces no less, on her first hand. Lena had always been a natural as well…

"Yeah, it does." Luxord was tempted to say no, but his honor wouldn't allow it. "What do you want to know?"

"Why do you all wear those black coats?"

Luxord wanted to laugh. If that was the first thing she was going to ask… "It protects us from the darkness."

"Oh, well, why I don't have one?"

"I'll ask Xemnas about it, love." Luxord picked up the cards and shuffled them. There was no way he would let the little girl beat him again.

It continued for many more hands. Namine could astoundingly hold her own. Luxord wasn't sure if he was pleased or annoyed.

Namine smirked, revealing another four of a kind.

Luxord's smirk mirrored hers. "That's respectable. Unfortunately for you, I've got a royal flush."

Namine's smirk vanished. Luxord laughed. "Cheer up, love. I'll admit you're pretty good, especially for a bird like you."

Namine had no idea why she was a bird, but didn't press that matter. "Ask away."

"Why does Saix keep sending people into your room? I know I'm the fifth person today."

"I don't know… Saix came in a while ago and left. He sent two people in and later came back. He told me to try to change his memories. But… he said it didn't work."

Luxord furrowed his brow. It seemed he had a little mystery on his hands. He would have to figure it out one way or another. "So you can control memories?"

Namine shrugged. "The only time I tried it didn't work. Saix says it'll only work on those close to Sora."

Luxord's frown increased. He had never heard of a power being so specific. There was definitely something going on. He smelled a rat, and he doubted it was Namine. He looked into her eyes. Random thoughts of Lena were coming up again. It was strange. Although ashamed to admit it, he hadn't thought of her once since he became a Nobody. It was almost as if Namine was reminding him…

Luxord broke eye contact, and the thoughts were gone, back to the outskirts of his mind. He spoke, "This is peculiar indeed. I think you might just be more powerful than you think. I am afraid I'll have to take my leave. Once I get to the bottom of this, I'll let you know."

"Thank you for everything sir." Namine sighed. She doubted she would see him anytime soon. How come every time she found someone nice, she would never see them again?

"Drop the formalities, doll. Luxord is fine."

Namine smiled. "Goodbye Luxord."

Luxord nodded once and exited through her large door. Namine wondered if it was unlocked. She had never bothered to try. After all, compared to the others, she was weak. Luxord said otherwise, but he was just trying to be nice. Or maybe there was something strange going on. As soon as she had told him about Saix, he got a weird look on his face. Something weird _was _going on, and Namine didn't know what.

Across the door, Luxord sighed. While the memories of his wife were still with him, they weren't assaulting him like before. It was still better than having forgotten about her like before. Perhaps Saix had lied, and the girl really could control everyone's memories. Luxord still didn't think she was doing it purposely. If she wasn't, than she was much more powerful than they were all led to believe.

His thoughts distracted him to the point where he barely noticed bumping into Saix. Saix glowered, but was pleased even so. It meant that his little experiment was working.


End file.
